Ronald Reagan was born in 1911 in Illinois and graduated from Eureka College with degrees in economics and sociology. He moved to Iowa to work as a radio broadcaster and then to Los Angeles in 1937 to begin an acting career in films and television, appearing in over 50 movies. Reagan became president of the Screen Actors Guild and then a spokesman for General Electric, beginning his career in politics. He switched from the Democratic to the Republican party and served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975. Reagan ran unsuccessfully for president in 1968 and 1976 but was elected as the 40th president in 1980, serving two terms from 1981 to 1989.